


Shadow's Chase

by Sresla



Series: Grand Archives of Piltover [2]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Assassination, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other, Zaun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 15:59:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16936266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sresla/pseuds/Sresla
Summary: The Order of Shadow dispatches Kayn to Zaun to fulfill a contract.





	Shadow's Chase

‘ _The stench of death. I love it here._ ’

“You would,” Kayn murmured. Rhaast wasn’t wrong, though. Zaun reeked. Even here, crouched underneath the eaves of an affluent gable-roofed mansion, the smell of the sewer city couldn’t be escaped. “Can you stop being you for five minutes?”

‘ _Of course. Just allow me to be_ you _for a few moments._ ’

Kayn felt a twinge in his left arm, phantom pain from his subsumed limb; the price he paid for his initial contact with the Darkin weapon. He tightened his grip on the scythe and the sensation subsided. “Stop it. You already know you can’t win.”

‘ _We’ll see, boy._ ’

“We already have. There. Right on time.”

A door stories below him opened and a man stepped out and lit a cigar, inhaling then exhaling a plume of smoke. Kayn tried to recall his name, but found he couldn’t. It didn’t matter. The target never mattered. There was nothing for him but the job – the killing – and the exultation of knowing he was proving himself worthy of taking over the Order of Shadow. For a man who had enemies willing to hire an assassin, his schedule was alarmingly regular. Every evening, he came outside and walked the interior perimeter of his property before he released several large dog-rabbit hybrids from their pens to freely roam the grounds. Too trusting in his walls and beasts, neither of which were a deterrent for the act Kayn was about to commit.

The man never reached his kennels. The assassin tailed him from the rooftop then dropped like liquid night, slipped behind him and slashed his head off with a quick swipe.

‘ _More!_ ’

“There is no more. We’re done here.” Based on the tithe the Order collected, he expected a challenge; something difficult, worthy of his skill. This had been… mundane. No guards, just one wealthy, overconfident man. Other assassins might collect a trophy to prove the deed, but Kayn needed none; his word would be enough. He ghosted out the estate, using the terrain as his own private thoroughfare, thoughts already turned to his next mission.

He emerged and found himself surrounded by armed men. “Shieda Kayn. You will come with us.”

Kayn didn’t think; he just reacted. The scythe spun in an arc, cutting the nearest of the group cleanly in half, but there were no cries of fear or pain – just more men coming towards him, repeating the same missive. It was then he realized they weren’t men but simulacrums. Made of metal, all spoke the identical sentence in tinny unison. They pressed in, touched him – tried to restrain him – but he lashed out and more fell to the ground, twitching and jerking, speaking as if they still remained standing upright.

He fought as wave after wave came for him, until the assault halted, hemming him in a semi-circle of debris, out of reach of his weapon.

“What are you waiting for?” he growled, weaving the scythe back and forth in preparation for the next attack.

This time, they echoed discordantly. “Shiver… shiver… shiver…” It came from everywhere, a susurrus in the dark alley. A new voice spoke, cutting through the mechanical repetition. The word continued to repeat, a whispered background like rain on treetops.

“You haven’t been in Zaun long enough to have heard of Shimmer. It is a drug; applied to the skin, it intensifies pleasurable emotions. Shiver is a concoction that works in quite the reverse manner. It manifests and magnifies negative feelings. Despair. Doubt. Shame. Fear. Your energetic exertion expedited its absorption into your bloodstream and you should begin to experience its effects very, very soon.”

Kayn looked down. Handprints the color of fresh bruises covered his chest. He watched as his right hand began to tremble. “What have you–“

He looked back up and saw the creatures advanced again. He hoisted the scythe but how did he fight what didn’t bleed – these walking, talking dead men? His chest constricted, like a vice beginning to tighten, and a keening whine escaped his lips. There were so many of them. He was going to die here – alone, unascended, unmourned.

It was then he realized Rhaast was talking to him, clamoring in his head for his attention. ‘ _Boy! Kayn! We are not prepared for this! Go! Now!_ ’

Kayn stumbled back, summoning his shadow magic to merge into the wall and ran, using the stone as a shield from the sound which bored into his head in time with his rapidly increasing heartbeat. “Shiver… shiver… shiver…” Each time he materialized, the mechanical men were waiting even though it felt like he covered miles with every stride. Each time he dodged and re-entered his temporary sanctuary, the darkness pressed in, a claustrophobic prison. It grew increasingly difficult for him to breathe, until he finally tumbled out of the wall, leaning against it for support. “I can’t,” he panted.

‘ _I have never heard you say that you cannot do something. You can. You will. You must._ ’

“I–“

Whatever the intended response was got knocked out of him as a metal hand snaked out, gripped his ankle and yanked him off his feet. He fell forward and hit the pavement hard, tasting blood in his mouth. The scythe spun out of his grasp and Kayn felt himself being dragged backwards. He scrambled for leverage, clutching for any handhold to halt the inexorable pull. He saw the Darkin’s baleful red eye rolling in its fixed place on the weapon’s blade as if looking for him. “Rhaast!” he shrieked, throat raw from screaming he didn’t even realize he had been doing.

His fingertips brushed the weapon’s haft and he strained with every muscle in his body to reach it. He kicked out, felt his foot connect with something and lunged, grabbing the scythe.

‘ _Roll!_ ’ Rhaast commanded. ‘ _Swing!_ ’

Kayn rolled onto his back and swung, severing the serpentine arm.

‘ _Run!_ ’

Kayn obeyed and fled. From its perch, a six-eyed raven spread its wings and followed.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Grand Archives of Piltover contest held in November on the League of Legends Concept and Creations forum. Narrative requirement was 1,000 words or less, featuring either Piltover or Zaun (setting or champion, or some appropriate combination). I sort of half-main Kayn but never gave much thought to writing stories about him, until this opportunity popped up. The intent was just to reference him in the previous stand-alone work I did for the same contest, but Kayn just couldn't stand being second to anyone and sulked until I came up with a story just for him. This also went through several title changes and I'm still not really happy with the result. Maybe if something strikes me, one day...
> 
> Kayn, Rhaast and the associated settings, as well as other characters alluded to here belong to Riot Games.
> 
> Thank you for reading. A critique is just as valued as praise.


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